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Trying to Enter the World of Federal Contracts
Tweet Share on Facebook April 23, 2007 CommentMelinda Emerson's car has logged a lot of miles. She has spent more than five years making the trip from her home in Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., in hopes that her multimedia company, Quintessence, would win a federal contract. Despite spending tens of thousands of dollars on filling out paperwork, attending conferences, and networking with other businesses that have federal contracts, Emerson's company has yet to win a single one.
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The Katrina Controversy
Tweet Share on Facebook April 17, 2007 CommentIt has been 18 months since Hurricane Katrina whipped through the Gulf Coast. Many small businesses have cleaned up the debris but haven't been able to wash away their woes. Chief among their complaints is the black box process involved in getting government contracts to help repair the area and their bottom line. So last week Washington, D.C., trooped down to New Orleans, where federal agencies and small businesses brought out their boxing gloves.
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Quitting as a Business Strategy
Tweet Share on Facebook April 11, 2007 CommentPersistence doesn't always pay off. It's a concept that upbeat small-business owners, who regard quitting as failure, still haven't mastered, says author and blogger Seth Godin. In his latest book, The Dip, he sets out to get people thinking about the idea of quitting as a strategy.
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The Hispanic Market Isn't Only for Big Business
Tweet Share on Facebook March 30, 2007 CommentMy thoughts have been traveling south of the border (I'm bound for Argentina on vacation), and I'm not the only one. With 47 million Hispanics in the United States, many companies are anxious to court that growing market. By 2020, the number of Hispanics will reach 60 million, or 18 percent of the population, according to census estimates. And they've got money to spend.
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Nimble Small Businesses Can Dodge Trouble
Tweet Share on Facebook March 28, 2007 CommentThe storm clouds are gathering. Gas prices are rising, home sales are slowing, and consumers don't see good times ahead. The Conference Board said this week that its expectations index, measuring outlook over the next six months, slipped to 86.9 this month from 93.8. But ever-cheery small businesses are seeing the sunlight between the clouds.
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An Unlikely Entrepreneurial Inspiration
Tweet Share on Facebook March 23, 2007 CommentToilet paper seems like an odd inspiration for a company, but it's what started Tamara Monosoff on the path to becoming an entrepreneurial mom. Since then she's been busy teaching other moms about the path from idea to product. In May, Monosoff comes out with her second book about insights she's gleaned from other successful moms who have started their own companies. It's a business book at heart, says Monosoff, but she also wanted to inspire other moms to take the leap from babies to balance sheets.
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Rating the Best Workplace Democracies
Tweet Share on Facebook March 22, 2007 CommentDemocracy and business seem to operate in completely separate worlds. But that belief is a problem for the corporate world, says Traci Fenton, founder of WorldBlu. Her company studies democracy in the workplace and came up with a list of the most democratic businesses. Dominating the list were smaller companies with fewer than 1,000 employees. The smaller companies moved faster in returning the employee surveys, which measured how their workplaces fared in 10 categories, says Fenton, who started WorldBlu in 2003.
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Getting Small Firms to Think Green
Tweet Share on Facebook March 14, 2007 CommentWith big fish like Al Gore and General Electric tackling climate change, it seems there isn't much room in the debate for minnows. "Small business has never had a seat at the table, so they always get screwed," says Byron Kennard, founder of the Center for Small Business and the Environment. However, not only do small businesses consume about half the nation's commercial energy output, but they are also on the front lines of helping address the problem. In 2004, more than $1 billion of venture capital went to start-ups researching clean technology. So any new policies coming from climate-change politics will have a big impact on smaller companies. Still, none of the more than 50 climate-change bills making their way through Congress even address small businesses, Kennard says.
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Tips From Loews on Customer Service
Tweet Share on Facebook March 8, 2007 CommentIn his new book, Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough, Jonathan Tisch shares what he's learned about getting customers to come back to a business. As CEO of Loews Hotels, he's had plenty of experience in dealing with finicky customers. But Tisch also relates examples from companies such as Best Buy, a children's hospital, and even a museum. He says that for small companies competing with retail giants, serving the customer is vital.
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Small Business Tops Poll on Trust
Tweet Share on Facebook March 6, 2007 CommentFrom corporate scandals to executive pay packages, big business hasn't exactly been basking in a golden glow. But it's just the opposite for small businesses, according to a Harris Interactive Poll of 1,013 U.S. adults. In the survey, which measures how much confidence people have in different institutions, small business topped the list. With 54 percent saying that small business inspired a great deal of trust, it was also the only institution this year that won majority approval. Meanwhile, only 17 percent and 16 percent, respectively, cited confidence in Wall Street and major companies. Congress came in last, behind law firms and the press, with 10 percent.
